07/11/2022
An open thank you letter, feel free to share.
As we reach a milestone year (5) of business, we have so many things to reflect on. When we started in this industry, there were so many other local small businesses we worked with to keep ours afloat. Supplies were readily available, people were willing and ready to work, and people had money to spend. We always knew there would be hard days, but these last few years have really made us buckle up and hold on tight! We are doing and seeing things now that you never plan for when opening your own business.
5 years ago, we were not making 3 or 4 trips to Home Depot a day. We would go to neighborhood companies, order from local suppliers, or go to other area hardware stores to get what we need. Home Depot was our LAST option, because why support a chain when you can support local? Today, we are making those trips. Being in a rural, small town doesnāt help, but local companies have been sold out or donāt do certain services anymore. Hardware stores just donāt have what we need, even if itās something simpleāheck, sometimes Home Depot doesnāt even have what we need which makes the trip even farther. Suppliers canāt get things to us in the time frame we need them due to things out of their control, which again forces us to make that trip.
Oh, and we forgot to mention we are making those trips for $5-$6/gallon. Yep, remember the days we were making them for $2.60-$3/gallon? Filling up machines and travelling to job sites didnāt hurt as bad as it hurts now and machines, vehicles and other tools didnāt seem to run empty as fast as they do today. Our fuel bills have nearly tripled, oh and so have the prices of those pieces of equipment and vehicles. So, if you didnāt have those piece of equipment or vehicles before, youāre definitely not getting them now. Not just because of the price, but simply because there are just not enough, and if you do plan on getting them you better also plan on waiting 8+ months and pray to all that is holy that you still have those employees to run them by then.
Which leads us to our next daily issue, employment. When you find a good employee, and I mean good, you better hold on to them and do whatever it takes to keep them coming back the next day. When we say good, we donāt mean shows up on time. We mean someone who works hard every second, knows the trade, teaches others, doesnāt cut corners, and can be a leader. Finding someone to employ is a little easier than finding someone to employ WITH skill, so when you find both itās like you hit the lottery, especially in todayās world.
If we could ask the world one thing as a small business in this industry, we would ask them to please STOP pushing college and start pushing trades. We are not sure where the disconnect started that people who have a degree are better than people who donāt, but construction has fed our family forever and probably will continue to in the future. It is getting hard to find people who know how to drill a hole or even dig a hole, and we donāt foresee it getting better anytime soon. We are lucky if 1 out 5 guys have a CDL or even know how to drive standard. We are not downplaying the importance of laborers, because without them things would be difficultābut you canāt run a company with laborers only. We need knowledgeable carpenters, masons, and operators to teach those laborers and help them get better. To help them choose the career path they want to take or even make them realize it just isnāt for them. Somethings just arenāt for everyone, like paperwork- which still piles up while we are out on the job.
Calls, emails, texts, are constant all day every day. Customers wanting this, suppliers needing that, bid deadlines coming up, and everything needing to be done yesterday. When do you make time for all the paperwork, payroll, etc. when you still have to make time for your family at home or even mowing your own yard? Not sure where we find it, but we do. Itās exhausting, mentally and physically- especially when you have worked in the field all day due to lack of employees and lack of skill. People wonder why we forget to call them back. This is just some of the stress we deal with on the daily, and that doesnāt even account for our personal livesābecause yes, we are still human. We have feelings, we make mistakes, and still like to find time to enjoy ourselves and our families.
So yes, maybe this picture of Home Depot or the 3rd trip over here today before 10:00 AM triggered so many other feelings and realizations that not many people are aware of, but at the end of the day itās out of our control and we are dealing with it. We are dealing with lack of supplies and suppliers. Dealing with inflation. Dealing with employment issue. Dealing with shortage of tradesmen and skill. Dealing with the stress of being pulled 60 different ways and still trying to give back to the community. Yet here we are about to accomplish our 5th year of business fall of 2022. FIVE years. We cannot believe it. Thereās a reason you donāt see many people succeed in small business after 5 years. If they are successful, theyāre overwhelmed. Itās absolutely exhausting, especially these past couple of years when so much has been out of our control. We can see why people choose NOT to open their own business, but the reward of seeing your accomplishments is just an indescribable feeling.
Here's your reminder to be kind, be patient and still always try to support small first. Thank you to everyone who has supported our business to get us to where we are today. In a few months, we can say we made it! Hereās to being at the bottom and hoping things can only go up from here! š„³š¤š¼5ļøā£
